A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, Oct. 25, 2025. (Credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that Washington does not view Israel's bombardment of Nuseirat refugee camp as a violation of the U.S.-backed cease-fire.
Israel claimed that the attack was targeting a member of Islamic Jihad who it accused of planning an attack on Israeli troops. Islamic Jihad denied it was planning any attack.
Speaking on Trump's plane during a trip to Asia, Rubio said: "We don’t view that as a violation of the ceasefire," Reuters reported.
Rubio stated that Israel has not surrendered its right to self-defense as part of the truce. "They have the right if there’s an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that," Rubio said.
The Saturday strike on a car in the refugee camp killed one person and injured at least four others, according to Al Jazeera Arabic, which cited al-Awda Hospital. The attack came shortly after Rubio left Israel after a visit aimed at shoring up the cease-fire.
Rubio said the cease-fire in Gaza, which remains in force between Israel and Hamas just over two years since the war began, was based on obligations on both sides, reiterating that Hamas needs to speed up the return of the remains of hostages who died in captivity.
Both Hamas and several senior U.S. officials have emphasized the technical difficulties involved in locating and retrieving the bodies of hostages amid the widespread devastation resulting from two years of relentless Israeli bombardment.
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